Can you believe I am sharing my 150th crafting tip of the week?
Today's share is hopefully going to help you when you are trying to craft with fabric & find it difficult to handle in a manual or electronic die cutting machine.
My solution for fussy fabric that does not stabilize well is to: stabilize it.
How? You ask.
Simply by doing the following:
Back your fabric with cardstock. You can use removable adhesive to do this or you can use permanent as well. If your intention is to use the fabric in your project in such a way where you want it to flow or be stitched on fabric, that would be a good example of when you should use removable adhesive on the cardstock that you will be adhering the fabric to. This way, once you run it through your die cutting system, you can remove the cardstock from behind the fabric.
Otherwise, use a permanent adhesive, lay the fabric on the sticky cardstock making sure to smooth it out. Then you can run it through your die cutting machine of choice.
If you use dry adhesive such as ATG tape, snail tape or Xyron adhesive it will be much better for both adhesion and keeping the fabric flat onto the cardstock. You can also use spray adhesive but make sure it is safe for both paper & fabric. One thing to watch for with spray adhesive as well is that when you set the fabric on top of the cardstock with the adhesive on it, be sure there are no wrinkles, air bubbles or raised edges. Work as fast as you can to rid your surface of them if this occurs during your fabric placing process.
Another thing to note is that you should run your piece through your die cutter 2-3 times to ensure that it cuts through both the fabric & the cardstock. With an electronic die cutter like the Cricut you can set it to multi-cut and that should have you covered.
Fabric makes a fun addition to any project but it can be tricky to handle when it comes to die cutting. So stabilizing it with cardstock is a big helper.
Thanks for tuning in.
Hi Sonia... I don't use fabric yet in my creations but I have some from SU that I really should use! LOL...I'll defintely keep your tips in mind when/if I ever do decided to pull it off the shelf! I'm so bad and buying cause it's pretty then being intimidated by it! :P
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congrats on 150 tip posts!! Keep them coming...they are awesome!!
ReplyDeleteHere is to another GREAT tip!!
TFS and have a GREAT Monday!
Congratulations on presenting us with 150 tools for our ease and pleasure!!! That's quite an accomplishment, my friend!!! I know I appreciate it, and I'm sure many others have to!!!
ReplyDeleteOf course, this is just another fantastic idea!!!
Hugs, sweetie!
I use c/s when cutting fabric on my Big Shot but don't find that I need to adhere it. It really does help a lot!! I've never tried to cut fabric on my Cricut, of course I don't cut much on my Cricut. I really need to use it more. LOL ~ Blessings, Tracey
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